Best French Kiss Ever! (Marais Mania) About This Page:

[DouglasE]

The Best French Kiss Ever!

This is the story of my adventures in France. I was traveling for the first time ever outside North America totally on my own. This is a true story from my perspective. There is nothing scandalous so the names have not been changed. Probably the only thing rated PG about this journey is my use of language which sometimes is questionable as I take after my grandmother who swears like a sailor. This is the fourth part of the story so far. If you have not read the previous installments, I highly suggest you start at the beginning so it all makes more sense. Just search this forum for Best French Kiss Ever!

Part I: Loire River Valley

Part II: Bienvenue à Paris

Part III: Historic Heart of Paris

Part IV: Impressionist's Paris

[DouglasE]

Wednesday, 6 September, 2006

Marais Mania

Place des Vosges


Our morning began with a walking tour of the neighborhood of the Marais. Marais means marsh and that’s its origins. Charles V built the new ramparts in the 14th century bringing this neighborhood within the city walls. He drained the marshes because he experienced several security incidents at the royal palace on Île de la Cité. Charles V moved to the Hôtel St-Paul in the Marais.

After we emerged from the Métro, Arnaud took us to the Eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis. Its name is derived from the fact that the parish of Eglise St-Louis absorbed the parish of the destroyed Eglise St-Paul following the Revolution. This is the only remaining Jesuit church in Paris. It was built as a deliberate snub to the Reformation. It has a three story theatrical façade. The ornate Baroque styling is definitely not the direction the simple and austere Reformation leaders would have desired. Inside we were treated to the painting of Simon Vouet. He brought Italian influences to French baroque painting. He was considered a master of folds. It’s funny how painting folds of cloth can make things seem more real. Today in the movies we have artistic directors and set designers who create the overall look of a film. As court painter to Louis XIII, Vouet supervised the look of this 17th century church. In effect he was the artistic designer for the church, not just a painter for some of the artwork within. Arnaud pointed out the bust of Bourdaloue. He was renowned for his eulogies. It was considered do not miss entertainment. Seats in the church were a premium. In fact, ladies would put pots under their dresses in order to avoid using the bathroom. If you left to use the facilities, you lost your place. Isn’t that hysterical? Despite its Baroque grandeur, the height of its dome, and the many candelabras and chandeliers I felt as if we had discovered something off the beaten track. Perhaps it had to do with the aged marble or maybe because we were the only people in the church. There were no tourists or parishioners on this early Wednesday morning. Arnaud shared with us what must be one of his own personal favorite back doors of Paris. While the Rick Steves’ guidebook includes a walking tour of the Marais, there is no mention of this church.

Eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis



Dome of the church



The altar

[DouglasE]

Our next stop as we walk through the Marais was the Hôtel de Sully. During the 17th century, members of the French aristocracy built mansions in this area. The Duc de Sully was 74 years old when he purchased this old fashioned style manse. Duc de Sully was Henri IV’s finance minister. He had a young wife who was placed on an allowance. I wonder if he was as tight with the country’s finances. We had access to the garden courtyard. While we visited this mansion our group sat down and listened to Arnaud read letters from Madame Sevigny. She wrote from the royal court to her daughter. These letters described what life was like at court. The wonderful thing is that they were quite funny because I think Mme. Sevigny was able to make comments to her daughter that she couldn’t disclose to anyone else. It was so funny that Arnaud was cracking himself up as he was reading excerpts from these letters. On top of laughing at what Mme Sevigny had to write, we were laughing at Arnaud chuckling. You know how contagious laughter can be. We strolled from the garden courtyard through a small gateway that led directly into the Place des Vosges.

The front facade of Hotel de Sully


Hotel de Sully

[DouglasE]

Henri IV commissioned the Place des Vosges in the early 17th century as Place Royale. The grassy square is a place for Parisians to relax and enjoy life. We walked to the center of the Square to the statue of Louis XIII. Here Arnaud told stories about Nostradamus and his predictions for Catherine de Medici, tales of lances spearing eyes, and other juicy tidbits from French royalty and aristocracy. The architecture that surrounds the square was uniform 17th century red brick. As we walked from the Place des Vosges, Arnaud and I had a discussion about the Dumas book “La Reine Margot” and the movie of the same title. That then led to my story about how the release of Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction had a lot of publicity associated with its release hyping its use of violence. One day I had decided to go to the movies but didn’t feel I was up to the violence that was being bandied about with Pulp Fiction. Instead, I saw La Reine Margot. La Reine Margot has lots of gore with blood running through the streets, a cadaver’s entrails examined for prognostication, sword fights, etc. A week later I saw Pulp Fiction. Needless to say, Pulp Fiction was a walk in the park compared to La Reine Margot in the violence department. Arnaud and I laughed about the irony of the whole situation. We then talked about films we both enjoyed and I recommended a book I recently read by Hella Haasse. Arnaud and I are both avid readers.

More walking led to the Carnavalet Museum courtyard. This free municipal museum focuses on the history of Paris. We didn’t take the time to tour the museum at this point. Instead, Arnaud took the opportunity to discuss more about the wonderful area of the Marais. While walking through the streets of the Marais, Arnaud pointed out a spot where we could spy the original wall of Paris. I think it is incredible that it still exists. I wonder if it would if something like that were in America. Americans have the nasty habit of tearing down structures from the past to make way for the new and the “better”. Something like that almost happened in the Marais. During the time of Napoleon III, Baron Hausmann was creating grand boulevards to connect major monuments. They were about to “bulldoze” over all the tiny, little streets when World War I came along and sidetracked all plans.

Arnaud took us to the mansion of the Prince de Soulies (?sp I really can’t read my handwriting from the note that I took. Ugh! Yes, I had a little notebook that on occasion I would write notes down so I would remember what all these pictures were about. Of course, I was busy listening to Arnaud or talking with my fellow tour members so much that most of the time I forgot to write anything down.) This mansion was first built because the owner’s wife had possibly eyebrow raising relations with the king. Always remember, it’s not what you know but who you know.

The tour group disbands around 11:30 – 12:00. It is free time until 5 pm when we will regroup for the evening.

NEXT: The misadventures of a shopper

Our group walks along an arcade that lines the Place des Vosges



A fountain in the square



Another view of Place des Vosges

[DrDolphin]

Great update Doug!! Your photos are lovely!

[chezp]

What a beautiful area - I love the photos of the church.

[Colexis Mom]

Fantastic update and pictures Douglas

[lauren-roxy]

Great updates Douglas and beautiful photos!!

[DouglasE]

Yesterday, as you may recall, I had run into my friend from home, Phil. We agreed to meet for lunch in the Marais. At this point I had the better part of an hour before it was time to meet up with Phil. What I haven’t mentioned up until now is that I forgot to pack an essential. I forgot to pack a belt. Up until today, I was wearing outfits that allowed the shirt to hang over my belt line so you would have no idea that I had no belt. I took this opportunity to shop for a belt. The Marais has a number of boutique stores that should have made this easy. “Should” was the key word. Prior to the trip, I had picked up a guidebook that focused on gay travel in Paris. The Marais is the focal point of gay life in Paris. In my handy little guidebook I found a listing for “Martial Viatierro”. This store was described in my guidebook as “sophisticated street clothing with an eye for worthwhile accessories. Manages to be both stylish and street smart”. Sounded like the perfect place to find my belt. On my way I encounter Kareen and a couple of the other ladies from my tour sitting at the café where I’m supposed to meet Phil. I found it amusing. I wonder if they had any idea if they were at the crossroads of what is considered gay ground zero. Rue Ste-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie and Rue des Archives is the home of Open Bar Café. I stop to chat for a moment and then move on to find Martial Viatierro. Eventually I find the address, but there is no shop.

Douglas’ Travel Tip: Always travel with a guidebook. It is a time saver. Make plans with the information before you leave so you don’t spend half your time trying to figure out what to do next. The most important aspect of the guidebook is the copyright year. By the time the book goes to print there will already be things out of date and incorrect. Some guidebooks do not update their information annually. Go with guidebooks that either update annually or were published the year that you are planning to do your trip. My “Out Around Paris” by Tim Mowbray published by Thomas Cook Publishing in conjunction with the UK’s Pink Paper was several years old. While it sent me on a wild goose chase for the accessory store, it did give me some solid ideas of what to see from a gay perspective. This was just a supplemental guidebook. I derived most of my information from the 2006 edition of Rick Steves’ Paris guidebook.

The good news is that I am in a neighborhood of Paris with many boutique shops. As I wander around I found a little shop that was in the process of closing down. Soon they would move to a new location according to the sign in the window. The place was empty and the sole person working was fixing the flooring. I asked if he was open in my charming, infantile version of French. He said “Yes, come in”. I immediately looked to my right and found the perfect Gianfranco Ferre belt. He told me since it was the last one he could sell it to me for €40. It’s a steal! I was about to take it when I was testing to see if it could fit. I asked what size it was. He said it is one size fits all. You create the holes yourself and cut off extra leather at the end. I wanted to get a belt to wear right then and there. This would not work. I told him I needed a belt for “now” and thanked him and said good-bye. Even as I right this I am upset that I didn’t have enough money to buy both that belt and another one to wear during my trip. I mean come on! It was a designer belt for only €40. When was an opportunity like that going to happen again?

Walking around I was having difficulty finding shops that carried belts. I walk some more around the Marais and spotted a store where there were oodles and oodles of belts right in the front part of the store. I walk in and ask about a particular belt. The woman there tried to tell me something but I didn’t quite understand. French is not her first language and it certainly isn’t mine. I explained how my French was very, very bad and to speak more slowly. When she repeats herself, the light dawns in my little brain. She was trying to tell me that she is a wholesaler. She does not sell things by the piece. Oh well, next shop.

I see a really cool looking clothing store and pop in. I hear one of the sales associates speaking fluent English with a customer. At this point I’m tired of searching and want to cut to the chase. I said, I heard him speaking English with the previous customer and asked if he could help me. I told him I was looking for a belt, a belt I could wear right now (see I’m learning). He asked what I was looking for in a belt. I told him something that was modern, sleek, and simple. He told me “We don’t do simple”. If you saw the place, you would understand he’s not trying to be difficult, he’s just telling you the truth. He offered to show me an item I might like. I said, let’s try. He pulled out this wonderful designer belt that had the look of a sheet of copper that had been hit repeatedly with a ball-pin hammer. It was a coppery colored leather belt. I really liked it. I was about to purchase it when I asked how much it was. He said €90. With the current exchange rate that would have been close to $120. Yes, $120 for a belt. I laughed and said in French, “Thank you, but I am poor. That is too expensive for me. Thank you for your help.” All I want is a belt. How hard is that to get? I roam around some more and find BHV. BHV, as I’ve mentioned before, is a major Parisian department store. While there I finally find exactly what I’m looking for. It’s a simple black leather belt with a large simple silver rectangle buckle. The interesting thing is it is from a more upscale department store. It is part of Galleries Lafayette house brand of clothing. It was about €30. As I was admiring the belt, one of the employees asked if I needed help. I told her, “Yes, but my French is very, very bad”. She said in French, “I am Italian. My French is very, very bad too!” After we were finished laughing and holding our bellies, she showed me where I could go to ring up the sale of the belt.

NEXT: Fun with Phil

[lauren-roxy]

Another great update!!

[chezp]

Wow - you'd have thought buying a belt in Paris would've been simple - obviously not...

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Douglas Glad you found a belt

[DouglasE]

It is now just about the time to head over to the Open Bar to meet Phil. The BHV was only a couple of blocks away. I don’t see any sign of Phil when I get there. I wait for him at the corner. I wait and wait and wait. I start to feel like a hooker waiting for his “john” (especially on this corner). This is the first time when I feel like I am missing my cell phone. For years, I rebelled against owning a cell phone. I don’t like leashes. Now I find the mobile phone such a handy tool, especially for instances like this. Where could Phil be? Eventually, I just start to walk around the block. I didn’t want to stray too far, but I didn’t want to hang out outside the café forever. I really was starting to feel like a street hustler. I keep wandering around the neighborhood always popping back to see if Phil has shown up. At one point, I pop in to a run down church that is across the way. The church is now being used as an art gallery. Unfortunately, the art being promoted was not noteworthy in the least. Hopefully, this is not a sign of what to expect from 21st century artists. After waiting for a little over a half hour Phil shows up at the café. The gays are notoriously always running late, so I am not surprised in the least. I’m quirky in the fact that I am scrupulous about my time management. I’m virtually always on time, if not a little bit early. One would think I was a military brat where the motto is five minutes early is on time.

Open Café actually had quite tasty food. I was surprised. I thought that since it was more about seeing and being seen the food might suffer. But Phil and I both enjoyed our meals. In fact, I was also surprised by the portions. They were rather large. But lunch was more about catching up with a good friend. Phil has been traveling all over the world on business. He told a hysterical story about having a serious illness in China. While he went through a painful medical condition, his rendition of his travails was incredibly funny. One highlight is when he is at a Chinese hospital, in Beijing I believe. While there, he has a woman who is a complete stranger act as an interpreter. As part of the examination it was necessary for him to drop trow. Poor thing - having to expose himself in front of a complete stranger could not have been easy. Needless to say lunch was filled with laughter. Helping the laughter was one particular server who whenever he would pass by would sashay his hips. That act would just send me into peels of laughter. When we entered, the host gave us a choice of where to sit. We had decided to sit indoors. It was getting rather hot. I’m glad that we found a cooler spot within the café. We still were situated so that we could see the pedestrians stroll past the restaurant.

The Open Cafe



Americans ask the question “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?” Parisians ask the question “How many times does it take to ask for the bill before our lunch is over?” I asked our server, “L’addition, s’il vous plait”. About a half hour passes by. Once again I ask for the check. She seems to be in no hurry. I see her chatting and laughing with her fellow staff members. At this point I start to get peeved because it now has been over 45 minutes since the first time I asked for the bill. I suggest to Phil that maybe we should just get up and leave. If they really wanted us to pay for the meal wouldn’t they provide the check? Finally, I asked a third time after what seemed like forever had passed since the second request. Then, after about ten minutes, the bill was presented. I totally understand and get the whole leisurely meal experience in France. However, I just don’t think I should have to ask repeatedly for the bill. Later, I talked to Arnaud about my experience. He said, “I hate that place. The service is awful.” Other than the whole waiting for our bill to arrive, I thought the service was rather good. At least, they treated me well. Maybe they treat you differently when they know that you will be in town briefly as opposed to a resident.

After we were finished, I took Phil to a jewelry shop I had visited while I was searching for the belt and waiting for his arrival. The shop was Abraxas (www.abraxas.fr), which boasts a unique approach to body art. In the window I noticed the rings. After I entered I discovered that its focus was on body art and that most of the jewelry presented is designed for piercing. If you head to the rear of the store there are stairs which lead down to where you can get a piercing or a tatoo. This shop was right up Phil’s alley. We both were fascinated by all the various pieces of jewelry you could have pierced to your body. Some of these things were immense in size. How could a person handle such a large gauge? Phil and I would point out various improbable jewelry items to one another and laugh. I’m sorry, there is no way you are going to pierce that thing on me! That shouldn’t be called a Prince Albert. It should be called King Albert; it’s so huge! If you are familiar with the Teno line of jewelry, they had a nice selection here. I would love to pick some up Teno jewelry sometime in the future. I really had my eye on a particular set of rings in the store. They were very reasonable. My problem was that money was growing thin by this point and I had to watch where every euro went. I made a mental note about the location of the store (9 rue Saint-Merry just across from the Centre Pompidou). If I had the money at the end of the week, I was coming back and buying one of those rings.

Douglas and Phil hanging out in Paris



I was free for the afternoon. Granted, I had an itinerary all planned out for the entire week. The purpose of an itinerary is to be prepared. You should be willing to chuck your plans when a better opportunity comes your way. My feeling is that fostering friendships is much more important than visiting the Picasso museum. I just wanted to spend time with Phil so I asked him what he wanted to do. He wanted to visit the Louvre. Now my tour group was going to visit there on the following day, but I figured that it’s such a huge place that it would be worth spending more time there. From the Marais, Phil and I walked over to the Louvre. The Louvre is immense. It is the largest museum in the Western world. I wonder what is the largest museum period? The Louvre started as a fortress but became a royal palace in the 16th century under François I. The Louvre started its mission to become a museum following the French Revolution when the abandoned palace developed as an artists’ residence and academy with public exhibitions of the royal collections. From the outside it definitely projects the image of a French palace. From the inside it was difficult to imagine Henry IV roaming around because it definitely is a museum.

A side view of the Louvre



Phil wanted to spend time focusing on the large format French paintings in both neoclassical and romantic movements. I thoroughly enjoyed touring the Louvre with Phil. We both have the same level of art appreciation. We both have enough knowledge to gain some meaning from our observations. The other nice thing is that we enjoyed going at the same pace. I didn’t feel rushed, yet we didn’t spend all day in front of Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People”. Trust me, it’s unusual for folks to be on the same page when it comes to pacing. After examining several of Jacques Louis David’s paintings we started to come up with our little personal theory about the artist. Just why is it in his paintings the women are all covered up? It was very common among his contemporaries to paint nudes and topless women. Why are all the men showing lots and lots of skin, if not nude? Just some food for thought. Eventually, it comes time for me to head back to the hotel. I have a group tour activity at 5 pm. I always enjoy hanging out with Phil in Philadelphia and I especially loved sharing some time together in Paris.

An exhibit under construction in the Louvre



Zooming in on the Louvre





NEXT: Developing my Parisian palette with food and wine

[lauren-roxy]

Sounds like you had a great lunch with your friend, except for the waiting of the bill. Can't wait to hear more about the Louvre!!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Douglas Sorry you had to wait so long for the bill